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¹blemish

verb blem·ish \ˈble-mish\

: to make (something) imperfect or less beautiful : to hurt or damage the good condition of (something)

Full Definition of BLEMISH

transitive verb

: to spoil by a flaw

See blemish defined for English-language learners

Origin of BLEMISH

Middle English blemisshen, to damage, injure, sully, from Anglo-French blemiss-, stem of blemir, blesmir, from Old French, literally, to make pale by wounding, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German blasros horse with a blaze, Old Norse blesi blaze — more at blaze

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to BLEMISH

Synonyms: taint, darken, mar, poison, spoil, stain, tarnish, touch, vitiate

Antonyms: doctor, fix, mend, patch, rebuild, recondition, reconstruct, renovate, repair, revamp

Rhymes with BLEMISH

Flemish

²blemish

noun

: a mark that makes something imperfect or less beautiful : an unwanted mark on the surface of something

: a fact or event that causes people to respect someone or something less

Full Definition of BLEMISH

: a noticeable imperfection; especially : one that seriously impairs appearance

See blemish defined for English-language learners

See blemish defined for kids

First Known Use of BLEMISH

1535

Related to BLEMISH

Synonyms: blight, blotch, defect, deformity, disfigurement, excrescence, excrescency, fault, flaw, imperfection, mar, mark, pockmark, scar

Other Medicine Terms

analgesia, angina, diabetes, hepatitis, homeopathy, logorrhea, palliate, pandemic

Rhymes with BLEMISH

Flemish

BLEMISH Defined for Kids

¹blemish

noun blem·ish \ˈblem-ish\

Definition of BLEMISH for Kids

: a mark that makes something imperfect : an unwanted mark on a surface

²blemish

verb

blem·ishedblem·ish·ing

Definition of BLEMISH for Kids

: to spoil by or as if by an ugly mark <A scratch blemished the table.> <The loss blemished their record.>

Medical Dictionary

blemish

noun blem·ish \ˈblem-ish\

Medical Definition of BLEMISH

: a mark of physical deformity or injury: as a : any small mark on the skin (as a pimple or birthmark) <blemishes symptomatic of acne> b : a defect of an animal (as a horse) that detracts from its appearance but does not interfere with its usefulness